Hockey Night in Canada

Guy offered to make Peanut and me dinner on Friday and I agreed to bring dessert. I then learned that it was Guy's birthday so his husband Larry and I conspired to make a very special birthday cake. See, there's nothing that Guy likes more than hockey and he's got mad pride in his Canadian roots.

Though I could have made things look a bit prettier with colored frosting or candy, I was worried that it would be too sweet - especially for Guy who I knew wasn't the biggest dessert fan. So I decided to decorate the entire thing with fruit. In the center, the red in the Canadiens symbol is a "mosaic" of strawberry pieces.

Larry, Guy's husband, provided figurines to make the cake perfect - representing the Canadiens and Caps, Guy's favorite teams.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUY!

Simple Sunday Chicken

This week, I needed a simple roasted chicken recipe- one that I could accomplish after a weekend away in Philly (celebrating Peanut's parents 40th anniversary) followed immediately by a "Sunday Funday" outing with Javier and his friends visiting from NYC. Ina's recipe, which I had made before, would do the trick. It's simple:

1. Melt some butter and baste the chicken (Santa left me the nifty silicone basting brush in my stocking!):

2. Stuff with garlic, lemon, and thyme. Chop up some onions and scatter them around the chicken, then roast for 90 minutes on 425:

3. Make a gravy using chicken stock, flour, and the drippings and enjoy!

A simple recipe, indeed, but one that was still very good. It wasn't as sweet as last week's, and Peanut commented on its rich flavor - a feature, most surely, due to the butter and the onions roasted alongside it. I'm a gravy guy, so I liked this one primarily because of the gravy that was served on top of it.

Is it all about the brine?

If there's somebody who could probably teach me how to cook lamb, it's Geoffrey Zakarian. His wife is one of my closest childhood friends, and she swears to me that his lamb dishes are out of this world. Fortunately for me, his cookbook has a recipe for Butter Basted Roasted Chicken.

Geoffrey's recipe and technique involves brining the chicken (submerging in water with dissolved sugar and salt) overnight with some star anise, peppercorn, dill seed, corriander seed, and bay leaves. Before cooking, the cavity is seasoned with celery salt, thyme, rosemary, lemon, and garlic and you place some pads of butter under the skin. Like last week, you sear the chicken before cooking. And when cooking, you take it out every 15 minutes (hopefully not burning your hand like I did) to baste it.

The result? Simply amazing. Peanut and I both commented at how flavorful this chicken was. And it tasted delicious when paired with roasted cherry tomatoes and steamed broccoli. Two Sundays down... ~50 to go! And during that time I will hopefully think of some more creative photo options... and how to properly truss a chicken!

Blackjack Dinner

Attendees: Peanut, Trevor, and Nico

Cocktails: Prosecco

Hors d'oeurves: Crudite

Entree: Rack of Lamb Persillade

Side: Sweet Potato Steak Fries

Dessert: Sabayon with Blueberries

Peanut and I are heading to Las Vegas in a few weeks to celebrate Nico's 40th birthday. In preparation, close-to-professional gambler Trevor came over to teach us how to play blackjack. I reciprocated by providing dinner. IF ONLY I COULD BE PROUD OF WHAT I MADE?!

People, I did not want to post about the meal because it was FAR from the favorite meal I have made. But people (i.e., Peanut) told me that I had a responsibility to post my greatest misses as well as my greatest hits. Ina, my love, I usually love your recipes, but what did I wrong with the rack of lamb? I cooked it for as long as you said, and its internal temperature (I checked) said it was done, by why did it look so raw? And the sweet potato steak fries - well, that was just my fault for not cooking them long enough (I blame it on being too eager for blackjack to start).

But the dessert- my friends, the dessert was DIVINE! I called up LL and used her classic sabayon recipe that involves 6 egg yolks and then such precise measurements as 5 1/2 "shells" of white wine and 1/2 shell of Grand Marnier. Whisked to perfection with a white wine custard served warm with blueberries.

Let's hope for a a greatest hit next time....

Roasted Chicken: A "Perfect" Sunday Night Supper

I know that I have been on hiatus for a while and to be honest I thought maybe RSVP was dead. But I was amazed over the holidays about how many people (read: two, one of whom was my mother) told me that they were upset that I stopped posting. So, I am back... with Peanut in tow.

Returning to the blog isn't a New Year's Resolution, but I have decided to bring the new year in with a new year's goal. In between writing my novel and learning to play acoustic guitar (resolutions I've had every year since college), starting today my goal is to roast a chicken by a different recipe every Sunday night for the rest of the year. Of course, I'll cook other things that I'll try to remember to photograph, and take pics and make up nicknames of all of our exquisite dinner party guests, but for 2011 it's all about the roasted chicken.

I started it off with a recipe that was a bit on the strange side- chicken in milk. It's Jamie Oliver's recipe, and you essentially brown the chicken on the stovetop in butter and olive oil, then cook it in the oven (375 for 90 minutes) with 2 cups milk, 10 cloves of garlic, the zest of two lemons, some cinnamon, salt, pepper, and sage. I served it with leftover mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

In the pot:

On the plate:

My one sentence description: Moist, but a bit boring (but very easy to clean up afterwards).

Peanut's one sentence: Light and citrusy, adding new life to leftover mashed potatoes.

So, stay tuned for more exciting photos & posts this year, and LOTS of roast chicken! If you have a favorite roast chicken recipe, or one that's been passed down in your family for generations, send it to me and I'll try it out!

Whoopie for Girl Scout Cookies!!!

I supply girl scout cookies to Peanut's entire office, so instead of bringing home 30+ boxes of cookies on the metro (again), I organized a pick up on Sunday with my supplier. In exchange for the cookies (and along with a check) I brought a treat I'd been dying to make for a while: Whoopie Pies (click on the link for a fun history). My recipe was from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor (one of the best things about the summer I spent there).

You know things are serious when I bust out the candy thermometer:



The perfect consistency for the stuffing:



Halfway there:



WHOOPIE!



And the reward (or at least, what we got to keep):

A dinner planned (kind of) for a month

Attendees: Peanut, Ferris, Domingo
Cocktails: Raspberry Royale
Hors D'Oeurves: Cheese, Crackers, and Salami
Salad: Prosciutto, Fennel, and Pomegranate Salad
Main Course: Braised Short Ribs
Sides: Massed Potatoes and Sauteed Swiss Chard
Dessert: Milk Chocolate Souffle

Dinner on Saturday was actually scheduled about a month ago by Peanut and Ferris. I mean, what is that? I have a hard time planning social activities for tomorrow! Which is probably why the menu wasn't finalized until Friday and nothing was purchased until Saturday morning. Still, Peanut and I managed to pull off an amazing dinner, which started with hors d'oeuvres from our new local market opened by the same owners of one of our favorite restaurants, CORK.

The first course of salad was a bed of arugula with some mint, green onions, and tossed lightly in olive oil. This was topped with thinly sliced fennel, draped in proscuitto, and scattered with pomegranate seeds.



The main course were braised short ribs, care of one of my favorites, Suzanne Goin. The recipe is truly delicious and EASY- it just takes a while: About an hour or so of prepping, three hours of braising, and another 20 minutes of final touches, including sauteing the swiss chard upon which the ribs were served.



And served with a simple sauce made of some horseradish and creme fraiche and alongside some mashed potatoes.



If you really like to cook, there is nothing more rewarding in my experience than successfully making a soufle. There's a certain excitement that occurs when you turn the light on in the oven and see that your soufle has successfully risen. This recipe for milk chocolate soufles was care of this month's Bon Appetit.



And I can't forget the perfect nougat whipped topping (egg white, honey, amaretto, and heavy whipping cream) that accompanied the soufles (be sure to serve extra in a bowl for passing)!

Snow Storm Spaghetti (& Meatballs)!

The plan was perfected a month ago: a few hours at the spa followed by a fantastic dinner at a restaurant we had wanted to go to since it opened a few years ago - my gift to Peanut for his birthday.

Then, this happened:



16 inches of snow!!! In 24 hours!

Driving was restricted, so both reservations were canceled!

Now, Gourmet magazine folded a month-or-so ago, and my subscription is now replaced with one to bon appetit. The cover, sitting on our coffee table for a few weeks, had a picture of succulent meatballs on its cover. "Can you make it, please?" Peanut asked. Spaghetti and meatballs with bacon tomato sauce: how could I refuse a birthday boy's request?

So while it snowed, and in between shoveling our sidewalk and uncovering our car, I...

Chopped:



Fried:



... and Peanut and I devoured!



And before you call me lame for not cooking a holiday meal, I will tell you- I DID! Birthday dinner for Pit of devil's chicken thighs on braised leeks, a repeat of my meal for Mountie. And for dessert, Suzanne Goin's chocolate cinnamon bread pudding from the same cookbook.

Spanish style.... Tapas at 10!

Attendees: Javier, Ozzie, and Peanut
Cocktail: Cosmopolitans!
Tapas: (1) Garlic Pan-Fried Bread and Chorizo; (2) Tortilla Espanola; (3) Chicken in Lemon and Garlic (4) Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms; (5) Green Beans with Pine Nuts
Dessert: Root Beer Bundt Cake

When Javier's plans to take Ozzie away for his birthday were delayed, I decided to step in (because that's what friends are for!) and offered to prepare them a celebratory dinner myself. I was then informed that Ozzie wouldn't be available until 8:30 Friday evening, so that "unless I wanted to do it Spanish style..."- inspiration, indeed (not to mention that we didn't sit down to eat until 10 pm)!

And now, in no particular order I present to you the tapas of the evening:

(1) Garlic Pan-Fried Bread and Chorizo.
When making tapas, it's good to have some help in the kitchen. Javier brought over some bread and helped me pan fry it, along with the chorizo. I served this dish informally with toothpicks while we finished preparing the other dishes.



2. Tortilla Espanola
A classic- how could i not at least attempt it? (And I was pretty impressed with the results)!



3. Chicken with lemon and garlic
I HATED the lemon rind that garnished this dish, but everyone else seemed to like it! I guess I'm my own harshest critic.



4. Sauteed garlic mushrooms
I am really developing a deep appreciation and fondness of mushrooms, particularly when they are cooked simply. This was, I think, my favorite dish of the night.



5. Green beans with pine nuts
When I decided that the meal needed something green.



So, Spanish desserts are pretty bad (right?) and I had been dying to try the Root Beer Bundt Cake from BAKED. The cake itself was good and you could DEFINITELY taste the root beer. The chocolate fudge frosting wasn't that good, though, and I can't seem to figure out why, nor can I really decide what type of frosting would taste better. Any suggestions?

Oh yeah, it was also really hard to get a good picture (a fault of the cake, the lighting, or the wine?)



But at least I got one of the birthday boy cutting his birthday cake!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OZZIE!!!

We've Come A Long Way, Baby!

It seems like forever ago that Shobhaa and I lived in a run-down apartment on Dorchester Avenue where our kitchen was lined with cereal boxes and "cooking" for me involved heating up microwavable chicken wings (Shobhaa was a tad more adventurous with smoothies and, on at least one occassion, potato leek soup). She and Dre surprised Peanut and I with a last minute trip to DC this weekend, and I was more than happy to cook them a lacto-vegetarian (no eggs, but dairy is ok!) meal. Of course, I recruited Shobhaa, who has her own fabulous baking blog, to help:



Attendees: Dre, Shobhaa, and Peanut
Cocktail(s): Fresh margaritas and non-alcoholic peachy-keens
Appetizer: Fresh guacamole
Main Course: Vegetable enchiladas
Side: Jicama and Mango salad with a chili lime dressing/Rice
Dessert: "Boy, you better make her" Almond raspberry swirl!

The night called for two cocktails: One non-alcoholic, and one for Peanut and me. Peanut requested one of his favorites: fresh margaritas. Shobhaa and Dre enjoyed my newly named "Peachy Keens" - a homemade concoction of freshly squeezed orange juice, peach nectar, and a dash of some freshly squeezed lemon juice.



Really, how can you go wrong with homemade guacamole? I ran out of Tobasco, as did Whole Foods, so I used Cholula Chili Garlic Hot Sauce. Consider me converted.



I had been craving enchiladas for some unknown reason, so I spent around an hour Saturday morning looking for the recipe that looked best (and easiest). Like always, when needed, Martha Stewart is there for you. For real, such amazing enchiladas stuffed with corn, black beans, spinach, and cheese with a simple homemade enchilada sauce of tomato paste, vegetable broth and cumin. I liked these so much, in fact, that I have decided to post the recipe after this entry: only the second recipe ever to be posted on RSVP!



The enchiladas were accompanied by a jicama, mango, and cucumber salad with a chili lime dressing.



And you can't have a Mexican-inspired meal without a little bit of rice on the side.



Dinner is served!



I didn't have much time to prepare an eggless dessert, so I decided to try Ina's Almond Raspberry Swirl. Basically, it's greek yogurt with some orange zest, peach nectar, vanilla, and honey swirled with toasted almonds, rasperries, and diced peaches. The crowd seemed to like it, but I think it's more of a breakfast/brunch dish than it is a dessert. It does look somewhat elegant, though!



Martha Stewart's Vegetable Enchiladas

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 (ok, i used 3) t cumin
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14.5 oz) vegetable broth
salt and pepper
3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (I used "Fiesta Blend, which includes pepper Jack")!
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
6 scallions, thinly sliced
Tortillas (I used 12- the recipe called for corn tortillas, but i used flour ones instead)

1 . Make Sauce. In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon (I added 2) cumin, the flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, for 1 minute (for me, it formed a ball). Whisk in vegetable broth and 3/4 cup water (it took a while for me to fully incorporate the clumpy ball of flour and spices into the liquid). Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, and cook slightly until slightly thickened, 5-8 minutes (um.... I kind of got distracted and it went for 10-15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Make Filling. In large boal, combine 2 cups cheese, spinach, corn, scallion whites, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt, pepper. Mix well.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil two baking dishes (she says to use 8-inch squares, but I used the 9*12 glass ones that I use make lasagna).

4. Stack tortillas on plate and wrap in damp paper towels. Heat on high for 1 minute.

5. Top each tortilla with 1 and 1/2 standard ice cream scoops of filling, roll them up tightly, and arrange (seam side down) in dishes.

6. Sprinkle enchiladas with remaining cup cheese, and top with sauce.

7. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Cool 5 minutes, garnish with green scallions (if you remember) and serve.

Next thing you know, you'll have some pretty happy dinner guests (Dre, Shobhaa, and me)!

Shobhaa & Dre: Come back soon!!!

Dog Sitting Dinner

Attendees: Peanut, Debbie, & Vixen
Appetizer: Spinach Dip Duo with Pumpernickel
Entree: Tomato and Corn Pie
Side: Mixed greens with Parmesan Crisps
Dessert: Peaches in Sauternes

We suspected that the "adult reception" immediately following the ceremony meant that puppies weren't allowed, so we were pressed to decide what to do with little Bindi for the night? Luckily we've got friends like Vixen, who enthusiastically agreed to spend the night and look after our little girl. To show her the ropes, and offer our thanks, we had her over for a vegetarian feast. And since I was making a veg dinner, I invited Debbie to join our soiree.



You can't, and don't need to, make everything you serve at a dinner party! Peanut bought a pumpernickel loaf from Firehook and two kinds of spinach dip from Whole Foods. I went 70's suburban (my favorite genre) and carved two holes in the loaf to create a fun way to serve.



My very simple salad: mixed greens with red onion and cucumber served on a homemade Parmesan crisp ....



Since I was so busy at work, I was a bit trepidatious about making the tomato corn pie from August's Gourmet. But when Deb said it was easy, I decided "why not?"! Now, I'm a beginner so I did try to do as told and rolled out the biscuit pie crust between two sheets of plastic. The top and bottom plastic wrap stuck to each other, so for the top half of the pie I took Deb's advice and simply rolled it out on a floured surface, which was much easier.



Mine did not look nearly as pretty as Deb's, but I imagine it tasted just as good. YUM!



And given that it was a biscuit pie crust, I thought it best to keep it on the light and juicy side for dessert. I served peaches in Sauternes, one of Peanut's favorites.